As per the ADR report, 8 out of 30 BJP candidates, 6 out of 9 Congress candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
A recent report by poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) stated that about 36 per cent of Rajya Sabha candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves while the average assets of candidates analysed stood at Rs 127.81 crore. The Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled for February 27. The data analysed by ADR and the National Election Watch are based on the self-sworn affidavits of 58 out of the 59 candidates.
The analysis found that 36 per cent of the scrutinised candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. Additionally, 17 per cent of these individuals face serious criminal charges with one candidate having cases related to attempted murder.
As per the analysis, eight (27 per cent) out of 30 BJP candidates, six (67 per cent) out of nine Congress candidates, one (25 per cent) out of four TMC candidates, two (67 per cent) out of three SP candidates, one (33 per cent) out of three YSRCP candidates, one (50 per cent) out of two RJD nominees, one (50 per cent) out of two BJD candidates, and one (100 per cent) BRS candidate have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
In the last analysis, published in September 2023, 306 (40%) MPs had declared criminal cases, around 194 (25%) MPs have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women et al. Of the aforesaid, 32 MPs have declared cases of ‘attempt to murder’ (IPC Section 307), while 21 MPs have declared cases related to crimes against women. Of these 21, four MPs have declared cases related to rape (IPC Section 376). The total number of sitting MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were 763.
Billionaire MPs
Approximately 21 per cent of the candidates are billionaires, boasting of assets exceeding Rs 100 crore. The average assets of Rajya Sabha candidates stand at Rs 127.81 crore.
Congress nominee from Himachal Pradesh Abhishek Manu Singhvi with total assets worth Rs 1,872 crore, Samajwadi Party nominee from Uttar Pradesh Jaya Amitabh Bachchan with assets worth Rs 1,578 crore and JD(S) nominee from Karnataka Kupendra Reddy with assets amounting to Rs 871 crore are among the top three weathiest candidates, according to the analysis.
Among the poorest candidates are BJP's Madhya Pradesh candidate Balyogi Umesh Nath with assets worth over Rs 47 lakh, BJP's West Bengal candidate Samik Bhattacharya with assets worth Rs 1 crore and BJP's Uttar Pradesh candidate Sangita with assets worth Rs 1 crore.
In the last anaylsis, the average worth of assets per MP from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was Rs 38.33 crore and 53 (seven%) were billionaires.
As far as the major parties were concerned, the average assets per Bharatiya Janata Party MP was Rs 18.31 crore, 81 Indian National Congress MPs have an average assets of Rs 39.12 crore, 36 Trinamool Congress MPs have average assets worth Rs 8.72 crore, 31 Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party MPs have average assets worth Rs 153.76 crore, and 16 Bharat Rashtra Samithi MPs have average assets worth Rs 383.51 crores.
Rajya Sabha elections 2024
Earlier this week, BJP president JP Nadda, IT minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi were among the 41 candidates who won seats unopposed in the latest round of the Rajya Sabha elections.
The nomination withdrawal deadline was on Tuesday (February 20), with 41 out of 59 candidates likely securing their wins. Results will be officially declared on February 27. The 15 remaining seats, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, four in Karnataka, and one in Himachal Pradesh, are anticipated to be contested, particularly in UP and Karnataka, due to political rivalries.